. The army in the civil . nks by his in-mctions was an advance up the Mississippi Eiver againstart Hudson, in co-operation with Grants operations againsttcksburg. But after deducting the gari-isons of all the)sitions before referred to, he found that he could not takele field with more than 15,000 men. The garrison of Portudson, according to the information which Banks received,imbered 18,000 men, and the position was one of oonsider-)le strength, thoroughly fortified by a continuous line oforks, each flank of which rested on the river. Eumorsen reached Banks that the garrison numbered o
. The army in the civil . nks by his in-mctions was an advance up the Mississippi Eiver againstart Hudson, in co-operation with Grants operations againsttcksburg. But after deducting the gari-isons of all the)sitions before referred to, he found that he could not takele field with more than 15,000 men. The garrison of Portudson, according to the information which Banks received,imbered 18,000 men, and the position was one of oonsider-)le strength, thoroughly fortified by a continuous line oforks, each flank of which rested on the river. Eumorsen reached Banks that the garrison numbered over 30,000en, but without crediting this exaggerated report it wasident that his force was entirely insufiicient to assaultle works at Port Hudson. He therefore turned his atten-on to the project of passing it or reducing it by othereans. This post, as well as Vicksburg, drew its supplies mainlyom Western Louisiana and Texas, by way of the Eed Eiver. this river could be reached and held, these supplies could 212 THE MISSiaSIPPL. PORT HUDSON. 213 be cut off and communication opened with the troops underGrant near Vicksburg. At this time the Confederate forcesin Louisiana consisted of about 4,000 men under E. Taylor. Their principal point of defence was atAlexandria, but their outposts extended down as far asthe railroad from New Orleans to Brashear City. Justbelow Alexandria they had an earthwork called Fort deEussy, intended to block the passage up Eed Eiver. Onthe Bayou Teche, at PattersonyiUe, a few miles west ofBrashear City, they had another work, called Fort Bis-land, extending from Grand Lake to the impassable swampssouth of the Teche. On the Atchafalaya there was a thirdwork at Butte-S-la-Eose, about twenty miles north of GrandLake. The whole country, for 50 miles west of the Mississippi, inthis region is alluvial land filled with countless bayous, lakes,rivers, and swamps, crossing and connecting with each otherin such manner that the country is almost impassa
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